Observer News: Support local growers while enjoying fresh produce
Support local growers while enjoying fresh produce
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Penny_Fletcher on 18/10/2010 06:31:54
By Penny Fletcher
Wouldn’t it be great to know the fruits and vegetables you’re consuming
aren’t shot full of chemicals to hold their color and give them a longer shelf
life?
What if you knew Mr. Brown from Plant City grew the berries on your table and
Mr. Smith from Pasco County had planted and tended all the squash, eggplant and
salad greens?
What if every tomato you sunk your teeth into, year round, was Ruskin grown?
Well, as of December 11, South County residents can assure themselves of these
things while boosting local grower’s business by shopping at a new Farmer’s
Market which will be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon
The Farmer’s Market will be held in the parking lot of St. John the Divine
Episcopal Church, on the corner of State Road 674 and 9th Street S.E. in Ruskin
as one of the ways the church plans to make the money needed to refurbish the
building which has been in existence at that location since the early 1960s.
“We wanted to do something to enable us to paint and fix up our sanctuary and
make some much-needed repairs,” said Annie Hunter, an Apollo Beach resident
and church song leader who is working hard on the Farmer’s Market Committee.
But the job of locating and signing up the growers of fruits, vegetables and
citrus has fallen to Jayna Hamel who runs Elsberry Farms Nursery on the corner
of Big Bend Road and U.S. 41 in Apollo Beach. Jayna and her husband Bernie, a
longtime employee of Plants of Ruskin, know the area’s growers.
“When you buy fruits and vegetables in the stores they’ve been treated for
color and shelf life,” Jayna explained. “We’ll know where ours come from,
and how they’ve been grown. We’re only going to deal with locals, maybe as
far away as the surrounding counties but no farther, so everything will be
backyard garden fresh.”
Jayna says she hopes to gather enough growers to keep the market going year
round with seasonal stock.
“There’s such an impact on fresh food’s nutritional value when it’s
treated for the long-haul. Not to mention the emissions,” she added.
Jayna has already started tomato plants and green peppers, some of which are
growing eight to ten on a vine. She is seeking farmers with peas, and pole
beans, eggplant and all other locally-grown produce and fruits.
Both Jayna and Bernie come from farming families and have also formally studied
agriculture.
“We’ll have spices in pots you can take home and grow in your kitchen
too,” she said, pointing to the basil she has started herself.
She also called my attention to one of her “special brands” of tomato, that
is called “Mortgage Lifter” because the first year after the man invented it
put it on the market he paid off his mortgage, she said.
Jayna has started a Web site www.backyard-produce.com but it is still under
construction.
Penny Fletcher Jayna Hamel shows off her tomato plants at Elsberry Farms
Nursery on the corner of Big Bend Road and U.S. 41 in Apollo Beach. Hamel is
seeking local produce growers to sell their fruits and vegetables at a new
Farmer’s Market which will be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon starting
Dec. 11 in the parking lot of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church on the corner
of State Road 674 and 9th St. SE in Ruskin. Crafters and other artists are also
welcome to rent space to sell their wares.
Growers who are interested in becoming a part of the Farmer’s Market are
encouraged to email her at bypapollobeach@gmail.com or go on FaceBook and put
Back Yard Produce in the search bar. She may also be reached at (813) 466-9585.
Meanwhile, Annie is seeking crafters to rent parking lot spaces at $20 apiece
during the hours the market is open.
“Every weekend we see all these people selling things along the sides of the
roads, which is illegal,” she said. “We’re going to see that they get
applications to come on board so that would make them legal. I think it’s a
win-win situation for everybody.”
Annie’s preference for contact by crafters or other sellers is email at
anniemal1@verizon.net but she may also be reached at (813) 645-8366.